Q: I know that Goofy was originally called Dippy Dawg before he went from being a minor player in Mickey Mouse shorts to a star in his own right. My question is how the change came about? Why did they decide to rename him? How exactly did he go from being an obnoxious laugh in the crowd to sharing the spotlight with Mickey and Donald?
Templeton, Louisville, Kentucky
A: After the first appearance of Dippy Dawg in Mickey’s Revue (1932), the staff at the Disney Studio felt that he would be a good character to develop. As he was used in more cartoons, he became popular with movie audiences. It was not just the character that was notable, but the distinctive laugh and voice provided by Pinto Colvig. I do not recall ever seeing anything on the reasons for the name change, which evolved from Dippy Dawg to Dippy the Goof, then Goofy.
Dave Smith